A new study found that people who took the "weight loss miracle drug" Semaglutide had a lower mortality rate and less chance of adverse reactions after being infected with the new coronavirus. Last Friday (August 30), this result was published on the website of the top international cardiovascular journal "Journal of the American College of Cardiology" (JACC). These studies may suggest that semaglutide may have broader health benefits than expected.
Source: JACC official website
Researchers found that patients who received weekly injections of 2.4 mg of semaglutide had fewer directly related deaths (43 vs. 65) compared with placebo; at the same time, the semaglutide group also had a lower rate of all-cause mortality due to severe adverse events related to COVID-19 (46 vs. 69).
It is worth mentioning that these data all come from the well-known phase III trial "SELECT" in the industry. This trial started before the outbreak of the new coronavirus has shown the potential role of semaglutide in reducing the risk of serious cardiovascular disease.
Benjamin Scirica, co-author of the paper, once said that in his own study, patients treated with semaglutide had a 29% reduction in non-cardiac event-related mortality. Weight did not appear to be a "major mediator" in the findings, he added.
The JACC study also showed that semaglutide improved symptoms related to heart failure, inflammation, and a range of other functions, while also reducing mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease, which is expected to push the drug beyond its "weight loss miracle drug" label.
In the United States, the 2.4 mg dose of semaglutide subcutaneous injection is sold under the trade name "Wegovy" for the treatment of obesity and "Ozempic" for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Harlan Krumholz, an American cardiologist, professor at Yale University School of Medicine and editor-in-chief of JACC, told the media, "I have begun to think that weight loss is just a 'secondary effect' of this drug, and that they are really promoting health."
Source: Novo Nordisk official website
Krumholz added, "I'm thinking mainly of cardiometabolic health, but semaglutide may have other mechanisms to make us healthier. To some extent, it has helped us resist some of the adverse effects of COVID-19."
But he also pointed out that further research is still needed on the effects of drugs on the human body. In July, "JAMA Ophthalmology" published the results of a study stating that there is a risk associated with taking semaglutide and suffering from "non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy" (NAION).